aggregate sum of from $35 to even $45 per Pupil in average attendance! We leave it to the judgment of any candid man, whether, under these circumstances, it is reasonable, just or fair, to allow High Schools to do Public School work, and yet receive between thirty or forty times as much as the Public Schools receive for doing that work.

INEXPEDIENCY OF ALLOWING HIGH SCHOOLS TO ADMIT THEIR

OWN PUPILS.

We have just shewn that for each Pupil attending the Public Schools, the Trustees of these Schools are only allowed eighty cents, yet when the same Pupil is admitted to a High School the Board of such School is entitled, according to the average attendance of that Pupil, to an aggregate sum, including the County Assessment, varying from $30 up to $45 per Pupil, although that Pupil may be only in classes identical with those in the Public School which he had left! With such strong financial motives to withdraw Pupils from the Public Schools and to force them into the High Schools, great efforts are, of course, made to admit as many as possible to these High Schools. Quite a number of the best Schools, even in the face of this strong temptation to be lax in their standards of admission, have faithfully and conscientiously adhered to the requirements of the Programme and Regulations in the admission of their Pupils. But others have not; and great injustice has, therefore, been done to that very class of superior Schools which is it the wise policy of the Country to foster and support. From a recent Return on this subject, which has been ordered by, (and which has been laid before), the House of Assembly, it will be seen that, even in the standards of admission adopted in the various High Schools, the greatest diversity has existed. For instance, (1), in some Schools the Pupils for admission were only examined in certain of the prescribed subjects; (2) the character, extent and value of the questions shewed great inequality; (3) in some the questions were written, or printed, and in some they were riva voce; and (4), the percentage of the value of the answers assigned to the questions ranged from 33 to 80 per cent. The enormous number of 2,000 Pupils passed into the High Schools as the result of these Examinations!

As to the qualifications of the Pupils admitted, and the character of the Examination held, we quote from the return laid before the House of Assembly, the following Report on the subject from the Inspectors of High Schools. For obvious reasons we give no names:

REPORT OF MR. J. A. MCLELLAN, M.A., LL.B.

At School Number 1.-I found a class of about twenty in training for the Entrance Examination by the Masters, who assured me that "all of them would be admitted on the following day.' The reading of nearly all these twenty, (whom the regular Pupils hardly surpassed), was very bad. Pupils not familiar with common words-pronunciation atrocious-voiolence for violence; turnt for torrent; genus for genius; laborisly for laboriously, etcetera. In Grammar, I gave the "Candidates," "Few and short were the Prayers we said." This sentence was said to be too difficult; e.g., "few a preposition governing prayers;" "short a preposition, ditto;" "were, a transitive verb governing prayers;" "said, an intransitive verb, passive voice." None of the Candidates could parse "said;" only twelve of all the School, (fifty), could solve a question in subtraction of fractions; and only eight could find the cost of 5,250 pounds of coal at $7.50 per ton of 2,000 pounds. You can imagine how much the "Candidates" knew.

School Number 2.-The Trustees of this School rejoice that the checks to Entrance have been removed. Four Candidates for Entrance, out of twenty Pupils present. The examination showed that even with the "hard checks" to Entrance which formerly existed, the Pupils had not been stringently dealt with in their Entrance Examination.

School Number 3.-Twenty-two admitted; seventy-nine on the roll; about sixty present. The Entrants did badly; analysis and parsing by the whole School anything but good.

School Number 4.-Seventy-two admitted after my visit. I have not seen the papers. There were already admitted as High School Pupils a large number who could not have passed, (and cannot pass), a fair Entrance Examination.

School Number 5.-Fifteen admitted; sixty-one on the roll. The examination was better than in some others, but much below what it should have been.

School Number 6.-Nineteen admitted; forty on the roll. Reading very bad; History, ditto; Geography, ditto. Eight in whole School found the difference between 2,275 3‚ and 2,174 111, Judge what the entrants could do. Grammar was very bad.

School Number 7.-Eighty-seven on roll; thirty-eight admitted; nearly the whole of of senior Public School division. Examination Papers fair, but Pupils not up to Papers. Query, had the thirty-eight been aided by Teachers? That has been done. A year ago there were twenty-eight Pupils on roll, now eighty-seven. Even the old Pupils did badly. gave an exercise in Grammar: "and first one universal shriek there rushed louder than the loud ocean, like a crash of echoing thunder." All failed in analysis; a large number failed in "universal," "first," "shriek," "there," "like."

School Number 8.-Forty-four on roll; eight admitted, not one of whom were qualified. Twenty-four were present. Reading utterly bad; only seven got substraction question. Grammar was a poor performance, nearly all failed to parse "first" (see above), and "all," (in "and then all was hushed," etcetera); "universal" is a noun, third singular; "louder" too much for many; "ocean, noun, objective case, after rose;" "crash, noun, objective case, after rose;" "crash, noun, nominative case to was understood," etcetera.

These were

School Number 9.-Thirty-six on roll; about thirty to be admitted. already in the High School. Parsing was an utter failure "Shriek objective case governed by one;" "universal, a verb in the possessive case:" "first, a preposition governing one." I gave "few and short were," etcetera. It was too difficult for nearly the whole School, certainly for all of the Candidates. A more deplorable exhibition of grammatical ignorance could not be imagined. This School was of course glad that restraints as to admission have been done away with. Only three in the whole School got the above questions in subtraction.

School Number 10. Forty on roll, twenty-three of whom were admitted. A fair examination would have excluded twenty of the twenty-three.

Schools, Numbers 11, 12, 13, 14, 15.-Had the same examination. One question in Grammar and one in Arithmetic constituted the whole examination, e. g., add , s, 3, 1. Number 11 had no Candidates for admission, probably because it was not a union School. Number 14 was held in check by its Master, who is determined to admit none but qualified Pupils. School Number 16 admitted five, all far below the mark. Number 12 admitted forty-seven, and has now on roll one hundred and eighty-eight, about three times as many as it had a year and a-half ago.

School Number 17.-Thirty-nine were on roll, (twenty-three Girls), twenty-two admitted. The Trustees and Master admitted that these were far below the legal standard, but "had to have two Teachers, and must give them something to do; would soon work the juniors up,' etcetera. The Teacher gave "to love your enemies is a command given." "To,' a preposition governing noun "love" "to love an intransitive verbal noun;" "command, objective case, governed by is." We must obey our rulers. "Must obey," intransitive verb, indicative mood, etcetera. "The Boy with long black hair was found in the wood." All the entrants failed to parse "Boy:" "hair" is a verb, third person singular, objective case, governed by "with." John runs swiftly. "John," a verb, third person singular, etcetera. None of these Entrants could do the elementary questions above mentioned; many of them could not get through the Multiplication Table.

School Number 18.-Thirty-six were on the roll, twenty-five admitted. Only seven of the whole School got the subtraction question. The admitted Pupils were far below the legal standard; Arithmetic and Grammar were utterly bad.

School Number 19.-Thirty-eight were on roll, twenty admitted. There was an utter failure by the Entrants, and by whole School. "Few and short," etcetera, was altogether too difficult,-bad as Number 17. Most of Pupils were mere children, requiring at least a two years' course in a good Public School.

The above facts will enable you to form an opinion of the disastrous effects upon the High Schools, which have been the too certain results of the removal of all checks by the Government upon the admission of Pupils. When it is considered that through the laxity of the old system of admitting Pupils to the Grammar Schools, a very large number of totally unqualified Pupils were found in the High Schools, even after the new Law had been in operation for a year; and that the number of the unqualified Pupils has been very largely increased during the present half year, in consequence of the examinations for entrance being free from almost all control by disinterested parties, it can be readily inferred that many of the Schools have been so far degraded that it is simply a perversion of language to call them High Schools; and that unless the serious evil be promptly and effectually remedied, we shall soon have a High School system only in name. Some of the School Authorities, the Masters particularly.have acted nobly. They have refused to take advantage of the powers unhappily placed in their hands, and preferring a high standing for their Schools to any merely pecuniary advantages, have exacted a high standard of Candidates for entrance. But the general

tendency is towards degradation. Some of the best Masters have informed me that they had resisted, with great difficulty, the pressure brought to bear upon them, to admit unqualified Pupils in order to increase the numbers, and as a consequence, the allowance from the Public Funds. If I might venture to offer any suggestions for the improvement of the High Schools, I should say:—(1) Let there be a uniform examination for entrance conducted by an independent Examiner, (or Examiners). (2) Let there be two Masters for even the smallest School, and the Masters to be increased, one when Pupils reach a certain number. (3) Something more is required than a University Degree to qualify Head Masters,-many innocents fresh from College Halls in charge of High Schools,-many with little scholarship, and more with less experience. I presume but few of our Head Masters could take a "First Class A" under the new Law. Let every High School Master be required to, in addition to his Degree, hold a First Class Provincial Certificate, or to teach a year, (or so), as Assistant Master, before he becomes qualified for a High School Mastership. As it is insisted that a person shall have a Second Class Provincial Certificate to qualify for a First Class; why should not a Candidate for High School Certificate, be required to hold the highest grade of Public School Certificate, in order to qualify for the highest educational positions?

The subjects generally taught in the High Schools are identical, (except a smattering, in most cases, of Classics and French), with those required in the examination for First Provincial Certificates; and I unhesitatingly assert, (and my notes will prove it), that a great majority of our University Graduates are not as well qualified to teach these subjects, as Public School Teachers holding "First A" Certificate under the new Law. And yet a great many of these men prate about the "indignity" of having Public School Inspectors associated with them in the Examining Boards on terms of perfect equality! A great many of the High Schools of the Country would, under present circumstances, be far better off, more rapidly "worked up" if under the charge of First Class Provincial Teachers.

(4) Let the number of High Schools be limited, not too rapidly increased in number. Under present circumstances, every little Village in the Country, even although it has not had the spirit and liberality to keep up a decent Public School, must have its "High" School, especially since "it pays the authors of such young efforts," to "promote higher education," are sure of at least $600 a year, and "that will pay the High School Master,"-i. e., a Master to do low grade Public School work, hence,

(5) I would do away with the $400 minimum, or, in the classification of Schools, let those that fall before a certain standard receive no Government aid, and die a deserved death, or let Schools be established according to population. Say one School to every 15,000 or 20.000 inhabitants. Two good Schools in a County would be of infinitely greater benefit than half-a-dozen poor ones.

(6) Let "union" Schools be no more. I am more and more convinced that there should be a total separation of the High and the Public School.

(7) Collegiate Institutes, now are only High Schools with a larger attendance of Pupils than in ordinary Schools. If continued, there ought to be Regulations as to number and qualifications of Masters. Imagine a certain Collegiate Institute with only four Masters doing High School, (or College), work for one hundred and eighty-eight Pupils, etcetera.

As at present constituted, Collegiate Institutes seem to be not in harmony with our High School System,-many places, which have "populous" union Schools are ambitious to become Collegiate Institutes, etcetera. (8) The County Councils should be compelled by Law to carry out the wise design of that Law.

REPORT OF THE LATE REVEREND J. G. D. MACKENZIE, M.A.

[As regards the Parsing, it may be well to state that for Reading the "Trial Scene in the Merchant of Venice" was selected; and, for convenience sake, the italic words in the following,-no very difficult task, certainly,-were given to the juniors recently admitted to the Schools].

1. "Give me your hand! Come you from old Bellario?"

2. "Are you acquainted with the difference that holds this present question in the Court?"

3. "Which is the Merchant here?"

4. "Shylock is my name."

5. "It is twice blessed?"

School Number 20.-Signal failure in Dictation.

School Number 21.-Twelve admitted; two only at all satisfactory in Spelling. Almost everything in Grammar missed.

School Number 22.-Eighteen admitted. I question whether I should have sanctioned the admission of one-half of these. Spelling and Parsing both deficient. Dictation amongst the worst I have had. Everything in parsing missed except, "Give me," and "twice" by one; one only could give the principal parts of "to flow."

School Number 23.-Six admitted; three below fifty per cent. in Arithmetic, and one in Grammar. Dictation very poor. Next to nothing done for me in Parsing. One only could give mood and tense of "Come" in "Come you,' etcetera. None knew when "that," is used as a relative. One only could give the principal parts of "to flow."

School Number 24.-Six admitted; general failure both in Spelling and Parsing. School Number 25.-Fourteen admitted; Public School Inspector not present. Questions prepared by Chairman and Head Master alone.

School Number 26.-Seventeen admitted; eleven of these were present when I made my inspection. I found these, with some two, or three, exceptions, amazingly weak in Arithmetic. I required them to give the parsing of the following simple sentence in writing:-"Our earth is a planet of the solar system." Six missed the predicate nominative; one considered "our" a preposition; "is" was treated in the same way by another.

School Number 27-Nineteen admitted; sixteen present at inspection. Dictation, with one very creditable exception, quite poor; in several instances, indescribably bad. School Number 28, (a Collegiate Institute).-The deficiencies of the "entrance" Pupils in this case took me much by surprise. Twenty-five were present at the inspection, and were subjected in the first intsance to an oral examination in parsing, with the exception of the relative "that" everything was missed except by some two, or three. I then tried them with written work, the result being not much more satisfactory. Arithmetic also was weak. So glaring were the deficiencies of these Pupils that one of the Masters confessed they were the worst of the kind they had ever had. Other cases might be cited, showing how very necessary it is that High School Inspectors' veto should be maintained.

THE CHIEF SUPERINTENDENT OF EDUCATION ON PREPARATORY CLASSES IN HIGH SCHOOLS.

In the last number of the Journal of Education I published a strong protest of the Ottawa Public School Board sent to the Lieutenant-Governor, against the establishment of a Preparatory School in High Schools, or Collegiate Institutes. Such Classes are clearly unauthorized under the High Schol Act.

It is a principle of Law that no corporation can exceed the powers conferred upon it by the Legislature, or other competent authority. Now the Act under which the High School Board is constituted makes it the duty of that Board "to make provision for giving to both male and female Pupils instruction in all the higher branches according to a Programme,

of a practical English and Commercial Education Rules and Regulations, prescribed by the Council of Public Instruction," etcetera. The Act gives no other authority on this point; nor does it even give any authority to provide for giving instruction in the "higher" ones, in accordance with a prescribed Programme. The law, further, only provides for the admission of Pupils to the High School on their coming up to a certain standard, fixed by the Council of Public Instruction. The Statute and Regulations provide also for the employment, (during their whole time), and payment of Teachers to perform the necessary duties under the Act, and declares that "no High School shall receive any portion of the Grant which is not conducted according to Law and the Regulations."

The Education Department has invariably resisted the establishment of Preparatory Classes in High Schools; and, under no circumstances, has it consented to allow any of the time of the Masters, or Teachers, of a High School to be taken from their regular Classes, and given to the teaching of an unauthorized, private, or preparatory, Classes in the School.

The Legislature has made ample provision for the establishment and maintenance of Elementary Classes in the Public Schools, but it has restricted the High Schools to the teaching of the "higher" branches of an English and Commercial Education.

UNJUST CRITICISM ON THE APPORTIONMENT TO HIGH SCHOOLS, AND EDUCATION CFFICE ADMINISTRATION.

I have already met and exposed the injustice of one class of attacks upon the Education Department in connection with the apportionments to High Schools. Another one equally unjust and unfair has appeared in the Canadian Monthly Magazine for January. It is as follows:

To what do we attribute the failure in framing the Laws? To the neglect of the subject by Parliament and its mismanagement by the Education Department. The various measures proposed by the Chief Superintendent have all betrayed a certain crudity and lack of precision which have been fatal to their success. The Head of the Education Department has often, I fear, been led astray by his hobbies and by the advice of incompetent Subordinates the clerical element, (in the Council of Public Instruction), has an unfairly strong representation in the Council, while the lay element is illiterate it does not consist of men able to advise Doctor Ryerson, and it is therefore no check at all on beaurocratic mismanagement. The anonymous Writer of these unjust and improper remarks has not ventured to offer a single proof of their correctness. He sets up a man of straw for the pleasure of showing his skill in knocking him down. For instance, he speaks of the Council of Public Intsruction giving the Chief Superintendent "advice" in framing his educational measures, when in point of fact not a single Member of the Council has ever offered any advice, or given any opinion, to him on the subject! Their functions are entirely different, and are prescribed by Statute. Then again, any one at all acquainted with the processes of legislation knows how well nigh impossible it is to get a Measure through the House without mutilation. In the case of the School Bills it was stated that the alleged mutilation which the Measures received in 1860 and 1871, were so many that the Bills could not be "recognized." No wonder, then, that, after thus running the gauntlet they should betray "a certain crudity and lack of precision." A dozen men with different views "amending" a Measure before the House,-(the more symmetrical it might be in its original form the worse for it), would soon reduce it to a mass of "crudity" and destroy whatever "precision" any part of it might possess. This requires no demonstration, and yet the Chief Superintendent is made responsible for all the "crudities" and "lack of precision" which might be embodied in a Measure under such circumstances!

In speaking of the application of the elective principle to the Council of Public Instruction, a "Head Master" gives expression to the following sensible views in which I heartily coincide:

:

It would, in my opinion, be exceedingly injurious to place a Teacher engaged in the exercise of his profession in the Council. He would have a voice in the appointment of his own Inspectors; would have access to the private Reports of the Inspectors, and would be in a position to obtain information which might give his School an unfair advantage over others, and he might assist in passing Measures which would be for his personal interest.

2. SUGGESTIONS FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE HIGH SCHOOLS.

In regard to this point I cannot do better than append the following suggestions on the subject from the Chief Superintendent's last Annual Report. He recommends: 1. That the standard of admission to the High Schools and Collegiate Institutes be uniform throughout the Province.

2. That no Pupils be admitted to the High Schools except on satisfactorily passing a written examination, and obtaining a minimum of fifty per cent. of the value of the Papers.

3. That suitable Accominodation be provided, in all cases, for the High Schools.

4. That the Programme of Studies and Limit Table, when finally prepared and authorized, be strictly adhered to, except by permission obtained upon the report and recommendation of the Inspector.

5. That at least two competent Masters be employed in every High School.